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Jul
29
Written by:
host
7/29/2009 7:00 AM
 It's no secret that times are tough in many communities across our nation. Charitable organizations, homeless and battered women's shelters, and churches are experiencing high demand for their services. Your congregation can have a huge impact on an organization--and learn a lot in the process about how our everyday skills can have a possitive effect on others--by planning an A.H.A. (All Hands Activated) Month.
Start by choosing an organization to assist. The ideal organization would be one that has a small staff but which offers many services, such as a shelter. Set up a meeting with the staff to talk about what their needs are, especially anything that never seems to get done. Get as long a list together as possible, with details about such things as specific hours or days the work needs to be done, supplies available, and specific skill requirements. Find out if they would like to have congregation members contact a specific person or phone number. Choose a month when you will encourage as many people as possible to contribute the work of their hands to the chosen organization. Use the list you have generated as a starting point for educating the congregation about the needs the organization has, but encourage them to think about their own gifts and talents that they can uniquely offer. For example...
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A person who is good at laying flooring might partner with the owner of a carpeting store to put down a new, free floor in the kitchen.
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A marketing expert could create a public relations campaign for a time of the year when donations are slow.
- An avid gardener could trim bushes, weed or plant flower gardens, and mow the grass.
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A farmer could provide fresh vegetables and fruits for one or more meals.
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An artist could contribute a new painting or piece of artwork that could be enjoyed by those who use the agencies services.
- A computer expert could offer evening workshops on using the web to find a job.
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Children could go door-to-door with a parent to collect donations.
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A home-bound person could participate through prayer, a call of encouragement, writing a letter to the editor of the newspaper, and so on.
Create a bulletin board where individuals can write on a hand-shaped cutout their name and the task they will donate that month. Put up any tasks you learned of in your conversation with the staff so that individuals can claim those tasks. Provide a place or a way for people to share their "A-ha" moments they had while carrying out their task (e.g. another bulletin board, stories in the church newsletter).
As desired, add additional education events during your A.H.A. Month to help persons learn more about the issues connected with the organization you choose to work with. An appropriate scripture that could be used throughout the event is 1 Cor. 12:6 - "...there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone" (NRSV). Getting everyone to contribute the work of their hands in one month's time is a great way to help your congregation learn about the community's needs, make a significant contribution, and hopefully have a few a-ha moments of their own!
~ Tim Gossett
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